Self-contained boll cotton extracting machine



W- 1937- J; E. MITCHELL SELF CONTAINED BOLL COTTON EXTRACTING MACHINEFiled May 18, 1936 EM Z Ne 57 m m. E N W J warren stares i ATENT OFFECESELF-CONTAINED BOLL COTTON EX- TRACTING MACHINE John E. Mitchell,Dallas, Tex.

Application May 18, 1936, Serial No. 80,240

11 Claims.

The general object or" my invention is to provide a self-contained bollcotton extracting machine having two or more sets of extracting units,and which shall be compact enough to mount on a gin stand within thespace ordinarily available between the gin and the feeding mechanismwhich supplies a regulated stream of cotton to suit the capacity of thegin.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention shown in the accompanyingdrawing, two extracting units are employed, each of which in cludesinits construction a main extracting saw cylinder, and it is the generalobject of the invention'to so proportion the respective speeds ofrotation of these cylinders that the extracting cylinder of the firstunit may be run at an ideal peripheral speed most efiective inpermitting the discharge of hulls through a space defined by astationary hull board past the saw cylinder, while the main extractingcylinder of the second unit is run at a higher rate of speed, or at suchspeed as produces the highest measure of co-operation between it and akicker roll employed for effecting a closer separation between thecotton and hulls than is effected in the first extracting unit bymechanically knocking back hulls carried around by the cotton engaged bythe saw cylinder.

The general object of the invention is attained by providing amulti-unit extracting machine, the first unit having an extracting sawcylinder running at a relatively slow rate of speed in conjunction withan adjustable, but relatively stationary, hull board defining the sizeof an opening for the escape of hulls only past the extracting-cylinder,and the second unit having as essential elements an extracting sawcylinder of larger diameter than the extracting cylinder of the firstunit, and rotated at a higher speed, a hull board defining the size ofan opening past said saw cylinder for the free escape of hulls and smalllock cotton, a reclaiming saw cylinder located below said opening, and.a kicker roll oooperating with said extracting cylinder.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a multi-unitextracting machine in which a'portion of the hulls are separated fromthe cotton in the first extracting unit solely by the action of gravity,that is, without the use of the conventional kicker roll for knockingback hulls, and the cotton, and such hulls as are not separatedtherefrom, are delivered to the second extracting unit in substantiallythe same condition in which they were fed into the machine. Statedotherwise, the separation of hulls effected :in the first unit isproduced without mechanically acting upon the hulls, so that nobreaking, cutting or shaling of the hulls is caused by the separatingaction of the first unit.

The invention, however, in its broader aspects, is not limited todispensing entirely with mechanical action on the hulls in the firstextracting unit, as I am aware that by adjusting the kicker rollsufficiently far from the saw cylinder damage to the hulls can beconsiderably reduced, although at the cost of less efiicient separation.As, however, any mechanical action on the hulls will inevitably producesome shaling, or cutting of the hulls, I prefer to dispense entirelywith a kicker roll in the'first unit.

When an extracting cylinder is provided with a kicker roll having bladesthat are forced against the bat of cotton mixed with hulls carried bythe teeth of the extracting cylinder, it is necessary for the extractingcylinder to have a relatively high peripheral speed to exertconsiderable centrifugal action so that there shall be a tendency forthe bat of cotton, and the hulls mixed with same, to be lifted or thrownfrom the teeth of the saw cylinder at the point where the bat carried bythe teeth is actedupon by the kicker roll; otherwise, the kicker roll isnot effective in knock ing back the hulls or any cotton adhering to thehulls. Instead, practically the entire mass is carried through the spacebetween the teeth of the extracting cylinder and the blades-of thekicker roll, resulting in the hulls being mangled or shaled to such anextent that it is afterwards almost impossible to separate the smallhull particles from the cotton.

On the other hand, when an extracting cylinder is rotated at the idealperipheral speed to exert just the right amount of centrifugal actionfor the most effective co-operation with the kicker roll in knockingback the hulls and locks of cotton adhering to the hulls, the speed isentirely too fast to permit a free discharge of hulls through a hulldischarge space between the hull board and saw teeth that is narrowenough to prevent the escape of one-seed lock cotton. This is becausethe hulls, which are elongated in shape, in trying to pass sidewisethrough the narrow discharge between a single hull board and extractingcylinder, are thrown Violently by the high speed saw teeth back into theincoming stream of cotton, and if a double hull board, such as disclosedfor example, in my prior Patent No. 1,030,913, is used, the hulls arethrown over the top of the lower hull board and a considerable quantityof lock cotton is thrown out with such hulls, causing an unnecessarywaste. With a relatively low peripheral speed of rotation, the hulls aremerely agitated instead or" being thrown back, and as a result of theagitation are turned so that they can slip endwise through the deeperspace between the rows of saw teeth. Such low rate of speed, however, isimpracticable if the conventional kicker roll associated with theextracting cylinder, for reasons heretofore stated.

In view of the above conditions, when an ex tracting cylinder is to berotated at a speed most effective for its co-operation with the kickerroll, it becomes necessary to use a reclaiming saw, such, for example,as disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,613,242, in lieu of ahull board,for recovering locks of cotton escaping with the hulls through arelatively large gap, or discharge opening past the saw cylinder; andbecause of the necessity for maln'ng a close separation of the remaininghulls, such a high speed extracting cylinder with its kicker roll andreclaiming saw, is obviously more suitable for the second unit in a. twounit machine.

Experience has shown, however, that improved results may be obtained ina two-unit machine by having the extracting cylinder of the upper unitrotate at a relatively low peripheral speed that makes it most effectivein permitting the discharge of hulls through a space defined by astationary hull board, but which space is too small to permit the escapeof small lock cotton. This low peripheral speed of the extractingcylinder,

for reasons stated, would be too slow for effective co-operation with akicker roll. Therefore, when employing an upper extracting unit having arelatively slow moving saw cylinder, the stationary hull board forcontrolling the discharge of hulls is preferable to a reclaiming sawand, at the same time, less expensive; but as the slow speed sawcylinder is most effective in promoting the discharge of hulls, and.least efiective for cooperation with a kicker roll in promoting themechanical separation of hulls from the cotton, I find it convenient,and in many cases highly desirable, to dispense with the use of a kickerroll in the first unit, with the resultant advantage that I avoid allcutting, mashing, or shaling of the hulls which are delivered with thecotton from the first to the second unit.

It will be obvious, of course, that damage to the hulls as a result ofthe action of the kicker roll in the second unit is reduced to theminimum by reason of a large percentage of the hulls being separated bythe upper unit and a considerable portion of the remaining hulls goingdirect to the reclaiming saw through the relatively large opening of thelower unit. In other Words, by the hulls being largely separated fromthe stream of cotton before the latter reaches the kicker roll of thesecond unit, any damage done by the action of the kicker roll occursonly in the act of separating the small percentage of hulls that reachthe kicker roll.

In the drawing Figure 1 is cross-section through a machine constructedaccording to my invention, the conventional driving mechanism for thevarious rotary members being omitted and the directions of rotations ofthese various members being indicated by arrows applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the first extractingcylinder and cooperating parts; and Figure 3 is an enlarged brokensectional view of the reclaiming cylinder and cooperating parts.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral I indicates, generally, thecasing of the machine which is adapted to be supported by front and rearstandards, 2 and on the top of a gin into which the cleaned cotton fromthe machine is delivered from a spout, The boll cotton supplied by asuitable distributor (not shown) to the hopper, 5, above each machine,is compressed by a pair of conventional feeding rollers, 6, l, which, asusual, have a variable speed drive which is adjusted to feed the streamof boll cotton at a rate to suit the capacity of the gin located belowthe machine. Below the feeding rollers is mounted a directing cylinder,8, which, as to its upper portion, throws the boll cotton to the fartherside of a cleaning cylinder, 8, which forces the cotton over a curvedscreen, id, to remove small trash therefrom, after which it is thrownupward by the cleaning cylinder against the under side of the directingcylinder 3 which operates to deliver it to the first, or upper,extracting unit. The cylinder 8 thus has the combined functions of adirecting and discharge cylinder.

The elements just described may be considered as conventional, and inthemselves form no part of the present invention. It may be stated,however, that the cleaning cylinder 9 is rotated at such velocity thatthe impact of its blades with unopened bolls will cause such bolls to beopened and the cotton knocked therefrom, and unless the bolls are damp,or quite tough, will break the shells of the bolls apart.

The first extracting unit, indicated, generally, by the letter A,comprises a relatively small extracting saw cylinder, H, a combineddirecting cylinder and dofier, i2, and a hull board, E3, the lowerportion, id, of which is adjustable, as indicated by the dotted lines,to vary the size of a hull discharge opening, is, past the extractingcylinder ii. This opening is adjustable to suit the size of the hulls,which vary in proportion to the size of the locks of cotton. The upperside of the casing is provided with a vertical portion, i6, locatedabove the dofiing cylinder !2 which acts as an impact piate, or stop, toarrest the motion or the cotton and hulls thrown outward by thedirecting cylinder 8 and to cause them to fall upon the dofiing cylinderit, which carries them to the hull board and propels them over the sameinto contact with the rising portion of extracting cylinder l i. In thisoperation, the free hulls, that is, hulls not entangled with the cotton,will fall by gravity through the opening it; and to the bottom of thecasing, whence they are removed from the machine by a trash conveyor,ill. The doffing cylinder l2 rotates in dofiing relation to theextracting cylinder ii, cotton and hulls carried up by the latter aredoffed therefrom by the cylinder 52 and thrown against the verticalwall, IS, of the casing, whence they slide over an incline, l9, and passinto the second extracting unit, indicated, generally, by the letter B.

This second extracting unit comprises a hull board member, the upperportion of which is formed as a screen, 20, and the lower portion as animperforate member, 2!, the lower edge of which defines the size of anopening, 22, for the free escape of hulls and any small lock cotton thatmay enter the second unit, past the main extracting saw cylinder, 23.Cooperating with the screen of the hull board member is a combinedbeating and directing cylinder, 24. As the discharge opening 22 isrelatively wide, it is V necessary that the hulls and cotton bepropelled over the hull-board member at considerable velocity so thatthey will span the gap 22 and be thrown against the rising side of theextracting cylinder. To accomplish this, the cylinder-24 is rotated at arelatively high rate of speed and the hull-board 2!, instead ofextending below and to one side of the extracting cylinder, as in thefirst unit, is so positioned that its line of extension would cutthrough the saw cylinder, its lower end terminating substantially in thehorizontal plane of the axis of the cylinder.

Located below the opening 22 is a small reclaiming .saw cylinder 25,co-operating with which is a yielding member or brush, 28, whichfunctions to force the small locks of cotton into engagement with theteeth of the saws but does not exert suflicient pressure to force hullsinto such engagement, which accordingly are thrown off by centrifugalaction after passing beneath the brush. These hulls fall into the trashconveyor Hand are removed from the machine. The reclaiming cylinder 25is mounted sufficiently close to the extracting cylinder 23 to enablethe latter to doff the locks of cotton therefrom. An adjustablehull-board, 2?, defines the size of an opening, 28, for the discharge ofhulls from the reclaiming cylinder.

Co-operating with the extracting cylinder 23, on the upper side thereof,is a kicker roll, 25, which is set sufficiently close to the surface ofthe .cylinder .to knock back all hulls and hull par ticles carried up bythe cotton. Co-operating with thetextracting cylinder 23 is also adofi'ing cylinder, 30, which doffs the cotton from the extractingcylinder and projects it onto the surface of a second, but smaller,extracting cylinder, 3|, with which co-operates a kicker roll 32, and,on its under side, a .doffing cylinder, 33. The lower portion of theextracting cylinder 2-3 is partly surrounded by a screen, 34, and thelower portion of the doffing cylinder 33 is similarly partly surroundedby a curved screen, 35, so that trash and small hull particles knockedback by the kicker roll 32, or falling by gravity through the spacebetween the two extracting cylinders 23 and '31, will fall on the screen34 and through the same into a trash trough, 36. In like manner as thecotton is forced over screen 35 by the dofiing cylinder 33, small trashparticles will pass through the screen and fall into the trough 36. Arotary member 31 continuously removes trash from trough 36 anddischarges it into the trash from trough I1.

The cotton carried over screen 35 is projected by the dofiing cylinder33 against a vertical portion, 38, of the wall of the casing, whence thecotton falls into the spout 4 and is delivered to the gin in athoroughly clean condition.

Referring, finally, to the feature of the relative speeds of rotation ofthe two extracting cylinders I I and 23, it is, of course, obvious that,even if these were driven at the same rate of speed, the cylinder 23,because of its greater diameter, would have a higher peripheral speedthan the cylinder ll. However, the cylinder 23 is actually driven, inpractice, at a greater speed than'the cylinder I I, and to make thisapparent from the drawing, I have shown, in dotted lines, the cylinderll provided with a relatively large pulley, 39, driven from a smallerpulley, 43, on cylinder 23 by a belt, 4|. In such an arrangement, whichis purely diagrammatic, the shaft, 42, of cylinder 23 would be a driveshaft.

' I claim:

1. In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine,

an upper unit having a low speed extracting cylinder and a co-operatinghull board providing an opening of a size adapted to permit the escapeof hulls only past the cylinder, a lower unit having a high speedextracting cylinder, a hull board cooperating therewith and providing anopening of a greater size than said first opening to permit the freeescape of both hulls and lock cotton past the last-named extractingcylinder, a kicker roll co-operating with the second extractingcylinder, and a reclaiming cylinder for recovering locks of cottonescaping with the hulls past the lifting side of the second extractingcylinder.

2. 'In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit having alow speed extracting cylinder and co-operating hull board providing anopening of a size to permit the escape of hulls only past. the cylinder,a combined directing and doffing cylinder co-operating on one side withsaid hull board and on the other with said extracting cylinder, a lowerunit having a high speed extracting cylinder, a hull board co-operatingwith the latter cylinder and defining the size of an opening permittingthe free escape of hulls and lock cotton past the cylinder, a kickerroll co-operating with the high-speed extracting cylinder, and areclaiming cylinder for recovering locks of cotton escaping with thehulls past the lifting side of said latter extracting cylinder.

3. A cotton extracting machine having an upper and a lower extractingunit, a low speed extracting cylinder in the first unit, an adjustablehull board co-operating therewith for defining the size of an opening topermit the direct escape by gravity of hulls only pastthe cylinder, saidextracting cylinder and bull board constituting the sole means forseparating the cotton and hulls in said unit, a dofiing cylinderco-operating with said extracting cylinder .to deliver cotton, and hullscarried around with the same, directly into the lower unit, a high speedextracting cylinder in the lower unit, a hull board defining the size ofan opening past said high-speed cylinder permitting the free escape ofhulls and lock cotton, a kicker roll co-operating with said cylinder,and a reclaiming cylinder for recovering locks of cotton escaping withthe hulls past the lifting side of said highspeed cylinder.

4. In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit having a lowspeed extracting cylinder and cooperating hull board providing anopening of a size to permit the escape of hulls only past the cylinder,a lower unit receiving the cotton, and the bulls not separatedtherefrom, from the first extracting unit, a high speed extractingcylinder in'said lower unit, a combined screen and hull board mounted insaid lower unit, the hull board defining the size of an opening past itsextracting cylinder for the free escape of both hulls and lock cotton, abeating cylinder co-operating with said screen member, a kicker rollco-operating with said high speed extracting cylinder, and a reclaimingcylinder for recovering locks of cotton escaping with the hulls past thelifting side of the high-speed extracting cylinder.

5. In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit having anextracting cylinder and co-operating hull-discharge means for effectingthe escape from the unit and the discharge from the machine of freehulls from a mixture of cotton and hulls fed into the unit, and thedelivery of the cotton and remaining hulls to a lower unit, anextracting cylinder in said lower unit, a kicker roll co-operating withthe latter extracting cylinder, and a reclaiming cylinder for recoveringlocks of cotton escaping with the hulls past the lifting side of saidlatter extracting cylinder.

6. In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit adapted toreceive a stream of mixed cotton and hulls, and having an extractingcylinder and co-operating hull-discharge means for permitting the escapefrom the unit of free hulls and causing the direct discharge thereof tothe outside of the machine and delivering the cotton and remaining hullsto a lower unit, an extracting cylinder in said lower unit, a kickerroll co-operating with the latter extracting cylinder, and a reclaimingcylinder for recovering locks of cotton escaping with the hulls past thelifting side of said latter extracting cylinder.

'7. In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit adapted toreceive a stream of mixed cotton and hulls, and having an extractingcylinder and co-operating hull-discharge means for efiecting a partialseparation of hulls from the cotton, the direct discharge of theseparated hulls to the outside by gravity, and the delivery of thecotton and unseparated hulls to a lower unit, an extracting cylinder insaid lower unit, a kicker roll co-operating with the latter extractingcylinder, and a reclaiming cylinder for recovering locks of cottonescaping with the hulls past the lifting side of said latter extractingcylinder.

8. In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit adapted toreceive a stream of mixed cotton and hulls, and having as soleextracting elements a saw cylinder and co-operating hull-board, thelatter providing anopening past the cylinder leading to the outside forthe discharge from the machine of hulls escaping through said opening, alower unit adapted to receive the cotton and unseparated hulls from theupper unit, and having an extracting cylinder, a kicker rollco-operating with the latter extracting cylinder, and a reclaimingcylinder for recovering locks of cotton escaping with the hulls past thelifting side of the said latter extracting cylinder.

9. In a muli-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit adapted toreceive a stream of mixed cotton and hulls, and having an extractingcylinder and co-operating means for effecting the discharge of a portionof the hulls by gravity to the outside of the machine, and constitutingthe sole means for separating cotton and hulls in said unit, a lowerunit having an extracting cylinder, a kicker roll co-operating with thesecond extracting cylinder and a reclaiming cylinder for recoveringlocks of cotton escaping with the hulls past the lifting side of thesecond extracting cylinder.

10. In a multi-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit adapted toreceive a stream of mixed cotton and hulls, and having an extractingcylinder and co-operating hull-board, constitutingthe sole means forseparating the cotton and hulls in said unit, said hull-board providingan opening past said cylinder leading to the outside for the directdischarge from the machine of hulls escaping through said opening, alower unit having an extracting cylinder, a kicker roll cooperating Withthe second extracting cylinder, and a reclaiming cylinder for recoveringlocks of cotton escaping with the hulls past the lifting side of thesecond extracting cylinder.

11. In a inulti-unit cotton extracting machine, an upper unit adapted toreceive a stream of mixed cotton and hulls, and having a low speedextracting cylinder and co-operating hull-board, constituting the solemeans for separating the cotton and hulls in said unit, said hull-boardproviding an opening past the extracting cylinder leading to the outsidefor the direct discharge from the machine of hulls escaping through saidopening, a lower unit having a high-speed 'extracting cylinder ofgreater diameter than the first-named cylinder, a kicker rollco-operating with the second extracting cylinder, and a reclaimingcylinder for recovering locks of cotton escaping with the hulls past thelifting side of the second extracting cylinder.

JOHN E. MITCHELL.

